Global News for You – Top News – Current News
In May 2024, The Lancet published an estimate of 154 million lives saved by the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) that was launched in 1974. In this piece I show that this estimate doesn’t stack up. Measles vaccines could not have saved 93.7 million lives Let me begin by looking at the paper’s claim that…
In my first post of 2025, I launched the Health Resolution Challenge. We just finished week 1 of the 28 day challenge and there have been many fascinating learnings and observations for me already. It was also very exciting to see the number of people who signed up for the Challenge (we had to start a wait…
The health budget continues to depend on the health cess to show decent spending. Contribution from the cess constitutes 18.4% of the 2025-26 budget of the department of health and family welfare. The department’s outlay in turn accounts for 96% of the total annual health budget if Ayush is not counted, and about 94% if…
I spent the last 10 days of 2024 in India, 5 of which were at my nephew’s amazing wedding, gorging on everything sinful (and, importantly, without feeling guilty even once). I also had the good fortune of running into numerous people who read my blog posts and found them insightful. Although my blog posts are…
Measles was one of the deadliest infectious diseases for children prior to 1915. But in just two decades from 1915 in the UK, measles mortality fell by 90-95 per cent, well before antibiotics in the 1940s and long before the measles vaccine in the 1960s. A similar drop in measles mortality occurred in the USA….
Diabetes is a condition where the body cannot properly transport glucose into muscle cells, leading to elevated blood sugar. This can result in complications like neuropathy, retinopathy, and kidney damage. There are two main types: Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Diabetes type- 1 Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition in which the immune…
The holiday season / new year is approaching fast and that means it is time to think about what gifts to buy for all your loved ones or maybe even for yourself. I decided to use this post #38 to recommend some health related products and services that I genuinely believe make for some of…
Dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are major concerns for seniors, especially those over 65. About 10% of the US population has dementia, while 22% live with MCI. The risk increases with age—over a third of Americans over 90 have dementia. Dementia refers to brain diseases causing cognitive decline. In the US, memory issues are…
“Climate change is intrinsically linked to public health” – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Clean energy has become a cornerstone of discussions surrounding sustainability and environmental responsibility. While its role in combating climate change and reducing pollution is well-documented, the significant health benefits of transitioning to clean energy deserve equal attention. The adoption of…
The human body contains over 70,000 miles of blood vessels, lined by a single layer of endothelial cells. This inner lining, called the endothelium, has a surface area equivalent to 6–8 tennis courts, making it the largest organ in the body. A healthy endothelium is crucial for maintaining smooth blood flow and releasing nitric oxide…
